Science has once again proven that breastfeeding can be beneficial to health, MedPage Today reports.

A study conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Erica Gunderson has concluded that breastfeeding can help women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Breastfeeding can also help reduce the risk of possible progression of GDM to type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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The subjects of the study are women with the said type of diabetes who have also delivered a baby in the past two months. The study was done by sorting women as "exclusive breastfeeding, mostly breastfeeding, mostly formula or mixed/inconsistent feeding, or exclusive formula feeding." Women, who participated in the study were enrolled in the Study of Women, Infant Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes after GDM Pregnancy from 2008 to 2011.

The researchers stated in Annals of Internal Medicine that "The women had an oral glucose tolerance test at 2 months after delivery (baseline), and those who did not have diabetes at 2 months were tested again every year for 2 years, in addition to other tests. The investigators determined how many women developed type 2 diabetes during the follow-up period."

After the follow-up period, the researchers found out that women who are breastfeeding and mostly breastfeeding for a longer period of time have shown significant decrease of the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. The results of the study have led to them to a conclusion that breastfeeding for a longer period of time may help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes in women with gestational diabetes.

Lead researcher Gunderson said that the study will have a great implication to health care system, allowing them to give more focus to breastfeeding education and how it will benefit women with GDM.

"Our findings will have major implications for health care systems to allocate greater resources for provision of breastfeeding education and support services to high-risk women with GDM so that they may breastfeed optimally and lower their risk," Gunderson said, as quoted by MedPage Today. "Breastfeeding is likely to become the centerpiece of early diabetes prevention strategies during the postpartum period."

Gunderson and her co-researchers also noted that breastfeeding can be a cheap intervention and beneficial not only in preventing development of type 2 diabetes mellitus but also weight loss.

"Breastfeeding promotion may be a practical, low-cost intervention during the postpartum period to prevent diabetes in high-risk women, with the potential for benefits that are complementary to lifestyle interventions targeting weight loss," the researchers said.

Dr. Lori Feldman-Winter, a pediatrician at Cooper University Health Care in New Jersey, also encouraged mothers to choose breastfeeding and avoid formula milk as much as possible.

"It really drives home the message that we have to support the exclusivity of breast feeding, meaning helping mothers and families to avoid the temptation to introduce formula when it isn't necessary," said the pediatrician.   

Tagsbreastfeeding, Annals of Internal Medicine, study conducted by a team of researchers led by Dr. Erica Gunderson, breastfeeding benefits, gestational diabetes mellitus, GDM, type 2 diabetes mellitus, breastfeeding benefts, lactation, Lori Feldman-Winter, Cooper University Health Care, Dr. Erica Gunderson